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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29692068">Oh, I like you!</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/logans_library/pseuds/logans_library'>logans_library</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Bastardcore Janus, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Wears a Dress, Eboy Remus, Gen, Goth Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Grunge Logan, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Punk Morality | Patton Sanders, Skateboarding, Swearing, and I'll elaborate on those tags more in later chapters, well ig virgil has more of the skater aesthetic but like there are hints of goth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:21:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29692068</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/logans_library/pseuds/logans_library</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Skater!AU</p><p>Janus moves in with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Larry which makes him move schools. On his first day he meets a punk that looks like a murderer, an admittedly helpful beauty king, a geek with an odd take on formal wear, the world's weirdest lab partner, and Mr. My Chemical Rage himself</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders &amp; Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders &amp; Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders &amp; Logic | Logan Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Janus Morello</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is basically just a mess of things that have happened to school + little things to introduce the characters</p><p>There's a few spots where Virgil's mean. While it could be personally interpreted as U!Virgil, it's not intended that way and will be cleared up in future chapters. Just a little warning in case anyone doesn't like mean Virgil</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janus cringed at the fluorescent lighting shining off the flooring as he turned away from his locker. He checked the paper in his hand to the numbers on the walls.<em> It's too early for this</em>, he thought.</p><p>"200's are upstairs. That's 213," he took a few wide paces to see the next door down, "And that's 215, so 202 is at that end of the hall," He mumbled to himself and started off to the other end. He opened to door to a small classroom, less than 20 seats, slung his bag off his shoulder flung it under the seat he decided he would take in the far back, and sat down in one swift motion. The teacher in the front of the room didn't seem to notice him, so he subtly slipped in one earbud and clicked the mic to resume his song. </p><p>"Excuse me," A low voice said right in front of him a few moments later, getting his attention from his page of albums, "You're in my seat,</p><p>Janus was getting ready a witty retort when he looked up at the voice's owner. In front of him stood the tallest person in the class clad in a spiked jacket, long electric blue what-would-be a mohawk if it were spiked, but was left to fall to the right, and standing at a broad-shouldered 6'3 at least. Needless to say, Janus slinked out of the seat without a word and almost didn't take the time to grab his backpack. </p><p>When he reassessed the room he found all the seats full except for 2 in the very front row, or the one directly next to the absolute tower that just took his old one. He wasn't keen on the idea of being front and center, and he figured someone pretty much had to notice if he was getting murdered, so he moved one desk to the left. </p><p>"Good morning class," The teacher started from the front of the room</p><p>"Good morning Mr. Keller," The class mumbled together somewhat. Janus glanced over to see the person next to him mutter along with the rest of their peers in that quiet, deep tone as he opened a notebook on his desk and got out a few different types of highlighters. </p><p>"We have a new student today! Janus, all the way in the back. If you'll just stay a minute after class I'll get you a printout of all the notes we've taken so far this semester," And with that everyone went back to paying him no mind and the teacher started the lesson. </p><p>The kid beside Janus proved to be somewhat of a distraction. He kept dropping his pens, and at one point took a picture of his notes only to find the flash was on.</p><p>"Oh, shhhh-oot" He whispered to himself as the teacher paused to glare at him, "It's for someone who's out," He explained. </p><p>"You may want to wait until you have all the notes then, Mr. Dawson,"</p><p><em>Dawson</em>, Janus thought to himself, <em>that could be a first or a last name</em>. </p><p>One more time Dawson dropped his pen and outright kicked it under Janus's desk. </p><p>"Sorry," He whispered. When Janus handed him back the pen, Dawson slipped a note into his hand. Janus almost broke out into a sweat as he painstakingly unfolded it. Instead of a death threat, a ransom note, whatever Janus had been expecting, it read in clean, multicolored writing:</p><p>Hey Janus! Sorry if I was rude at the beginning of class, I'm not much of a morning person and I realized I could have been more polite. If you want, I have an empty seat at my table at lunch that you're welcome to!</p><p>Janus took a minute to contemplate it, and wrote back under the paragraph:</p><p>Thanks Dawson but I think I'll stay in the library today. </p><p>He dropped the note on the floor and kicked it back over. Dawson turned to his right to stretch his back and as he turned back around he elbowed a pen onto the floor. The teacher upfront sighed and rapped his fingers against his folded elbow. Dawson gave a cheeky smile and leaned over to get the pen and the note that had went unnoticed by Mr. Kelley. Dawson read it over, gave Janus two small nods and a thumbs-up behind his leg, and nothing was said until the bell rang. </p><p>"I'm Patton by way," He said as he shoved his various colored writing utensils into a zip case, "Dawson's my last name. I mean, you're welcome to call me that, but if you want, I'm Patton,"</p><p>"Uh, okay," Janus said stiffly as he got his bag over his shoulder and turned to the door, "See you tomorrow, I guess,"</p><p>"Yeah!-" Patton's enthusiasm died as Janus turned and bolted out before he could even finish. </p><p>"Okay, so 200's are upstairs, so downstairs, and tech classes are in the math wing," He looked at the notes in his paper, wishing it were a map. He followed the same theory, as his last class but this teacher seemed far more involved. </p><p>"Janus?" She asked the second he walked in the door, "So glad to see you! Here, this is your seat," She lead him over to a seat, standing on the opposite side as his chair, "Don't worry, Roman won't bite!" She laughed and nodded to the seat next to him. Roman looked friendlier than Dawson, but he still wasn't in much of a mood to talk. </p><p>"Do you know how to do this stuff?" Roman asked a slid a paper in from of him. He didn't even really look at what was on it, just shook his head and said it was his first day. "Don't worry it's not that hard! We're still kind of going over the basics. If you need any help you can ask,"</p><p><em>Ok, so they weren't trying to get me to do their work? </em>"Thank you," </p><p>"Jeez, it's cold in here I should have brought a jacket,"</p><p>"Or pants," Janus commented.</p><p>"Do you have a problem with my dress?" Roman asked defensively, a quick and severe change in tone.</p><p>"Not at all," Janus said plainly "but it's not exactly the best thing to wear when it's cold out,"</p><p>"It's above 45°!" Roman defended. They rubbed their hands up and down their arms to try and subside the rising goosebumps. The teacher started to stop the quiet chaos spread across the room to start the lesson. She turned on a video about drones, pausing here and there to elaborate on some of the passing comments. </p><p>"Hey," Janus whispered to Roman towards the end of the lesson, "When's lunch? It's not on my schedule" He slid the paper over to Roman.</p><p>"It's based on your third. I have some friends in that class, you're on first shift with me. We go at this bell,"</p><p>"Tha-"</p><p>"Janus, are you causing problems already?"</p><p>"No Ma'am," Janus told her confidently, and she turned back to the screen after a heavy gaze. The bell rang as the video's outro started.</p><p>"Perfect timing! Have a nice day and I'll see you all back here tomorrow!" The teacher let them out and Janus headed straight for the library. It was mostly empty, a handful of people dotted at the round tables here and there, but it was by no means full, not even a quarter. Janus took a deep-cushioned chair against the encyclopedias by the heaters. It took a second for him to notice he wasn't the only one back there.</p><p>As he leaned over to dig through his bag, he noticed someone curled in the corner with a book against their bent knees and back against the heater. Janus didn't say anything to them, but they looked over when they felt him staring, nodded to him slightly, and started reading again. Janus took that as a hint that they also didn't want to talk, so he got his pen and earbuds out and started drawing along the rubber of his shoes in what little white space was left. </p><p>Janus heard the other people get up and start to crowd the door right before they were dismissed to their third period. He and the person by the heater got up and joined them. Janus got his first good look at them. They had on a tattered black hoodie that had a few holes worn along the hems and some patches scrapped thin. They also had a tie underneath, and a few pins on the outside, a NASA one, one with something he could only guess is for a fandom, and a He/Him pronoun pin. </p><p>Janus was started to get concerned as the guy from the library followed him about 6 feet back through the halls. He followed the exact path, exact pace, Janus was even willing to bet the same footsteps. He only separated when Janus walked into the class and he went to his seat. </p><p>Janus figured out quickly that his seat was at the front since there was a textbook with a paper with his name written on it sticking out from under the front cover. He went and sat down at his desk. A minute before the late bell rang someone came in and sat in the desk next to him between his desk and the teachers. He was as tall as Dawson, Janus guessed, looking a bit shorter because of his posture. He also wasn't as bulky. He was rather lanky underneath his baggy striped sweater that the loud chain necklaces around his neck.</p><p>"Okay, but who's to say there isn't a giant Godzilla-type creature at the bottom of the ocean?" The student asked the teacher with a serious weight to what Janus had assumed was a sarcastic comment.</p><p>"Remus I thought we dropped this debate last class?" The teacher sighed.</p><p>"Yeah, but I'm not done," Remus shrugged his hands out, "And Logan agrees with me! Right, Logan?" He turned in his seat and the guy from the library, Logan, nodded.</p><p>"There's still a lot we don't know about the deep sea. If Godzilla was just short of 120 meters, and the deepest point in the ocean is 11,022, it's not impossible. Likely? No. But Impossible? No,"</p><p>"Facts!" Remus shouted triumphantly back at the teacher, punching the table with the side of his fist for emphasis. </p><p>"Oh my g- Okay class, today we're doing a small lab about the law of conservation of matter. Group yourself in pairs of two, and one of you come get your supplies,"</p><p>Janus was no sooner turning to find Logan when Remus slapped his desk hard enough to make it vibrate. </p><p>"Hey, newbie! Go grab us a lab table and I'll be right over!" </p><p>"I'm sorry?"</p><p>"I wanna do my lab with you cause I like your shirt, so go claim a table in the back before we have to use Mr. Bentley's,"</p><p>Janus took both his and Remus's lab papers and some pens and took the last island in the back. "Score!" Remus sang when he came back with an empty water bottle, 3 balloons, and an opened box of baking soda. </p><p>"So you want to pour 350 milliliters of vinegar into your water bottle. Use the larger funnel so you don't make a mess," Janus took to measuring the vinegar while Remus started on their second instruction, "Stretch the balloon before you put the baking soda in. Once it's stretched, put in 2 tablespoons using the smaller funnel and wait,"</p><p>"So," Remus addressed him as he worked the balloon, "It's Janus right? I know someone who would love your shirt. Where'd you get it? I might buy him one,"</p><p>"Don't remember,"</p><p>"You might have seen him around, a bit hard to miss. Patton Dawson?"</p><p>"Oh, yeah, he was in my English class,"</p><p>"Yeah, he has that first! Okay, which is the tablespoon?" Remus asked, holding the double-sided scoop close to his face to try and read the tiny labels.</p><p>"Tablespoon is larger, and the teaspoon is smaller," Janus told him, "Oh my god this shit stinks," he muttered as he poured the vinegar from the graduated cylinder to the bottle. Remus must have overheard because he let out a brash laugh.</p><p>"Oh, I like you! I didn't see you at lunch, you should have sat with us. Pat said he invited you,"</p><p>"I went to the library,"</p><p>"Okay, stretch the opening of the balloon over the mouth of the water bottle, and hold it up so the baking soda falls into the vinegar," Mr. Bentley told them from the front of the class. Janus held the bottle as Remus secured the balloon and dumped in the reactant. The vinegar fizzled, and the balloon started to blow up.</p><p>"The baking soda reacts with the vinegar and they produce carbon dioxide, water, and sodium acetate. Wash out your bottles with the sinks in the center of your table, and repeat those steps with a new balloon, 250 milliliters of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of baking soda,"</p><p>The pair traded tasks and Remus kept up the conversation. </p><p>"So you ate with Logan?"</p><p>"Kind of. We sat close together, but we didn't really talk or eat,"</p><p>"He had a sandwich, he told me. You didn't eat. I got a protein bar, I'll give it to you when we sit down,"</p><p>"You really don't have to, I'm not-"</p><p>"Throw it out then, I don't care," He interrupted with a laugh, "Not a big deal, really,"</p><p>They kept talking, Remus keeping it rolling mostly. When their third trial was over, Remus grabbed the water bottle and yelled up to the teacher. "Hey! Is sodium acetate bad for you?" </p><p>"Not at all. It's a common additive in food, why?" Remus took the bottle and drank all of the liquid in it.</p><p>"How many times do I have to say it? Even though it's safe, we treat all things we deal with in here like dangerous chemicals! Detention!"</p><p>"But it was for science!"</p><p>"Want to make it two?"</p><p>"Nah, I'm good with one, sir," Remus snarked. </p><p>"Okay, everyone go back to your seats, and fill out your worksheets," Mr. Bentley said dejectedly and started erasing the lab notes he had been writing on the whiteboard behind him. Remus sat down with a cocky grin and tossed the promised snack on Janus's desk for when he finished straightening up the lab table.</p><p>"What did it taste like?" Logan asked lowly as he leaned against Remus's desk in the front of the room when he finished his paper. </p><p>"Don't encourage him!" The teacher said half-jokingly, "He's bad enough as it is,"</p><p>"It still tasted like vinegar, just kinda bitter cause of the soda," Remus said.</p><p>"Well, what were you expecting?" The teacher asked, exasperated.</p><p>"Water," Remus and Logan deadpanned together.</p><p>"Wouldn't you, Jannie?" Remus looked to him.</p><p>"I guess?" He answered, "It was supposed to rebond to make water so it would make sense. But it was also just vinegar so-" He trailed off.</p><p>"You're gonna fall into the wrong crowd Janus," The teacher tutted with a soft smile.</p><p>"There are far worse people to be associated with. Trust me," Logan informed him. </p><p>"That sounds spoken with experience," Remus looked at him, offended, "Who've you been ditching us for?" The bell sounded over the speaker.</p><p>"That's my cue," Janus snuck out with a mumble and rushed to the staircase to get to room 224. He looked back to his schedule once more to make sure he had the number right as he was going up, and he ran smack into someone as he turned on the landing halfway up the stairs. It was into someone with ripped jeans and a strong frame, but that was all Janus had time to notice before they said "Watch it!" in a gruff voice and deliberately shoved past him. </p><p>Janus got himself back together after the shaking encounter and ran up the last dozen steps. He came up on the wrong side of the hall and rushed down to the other end to 224, his psychology class. He got to the door and taped on the other side of the small window was a note.</p><p>Report to room 101</p><p><em>Oh God, I'm gonna be late</em>. The late bell just then almost as if it knew his thoughts. <em>Great, just great! Fan-fucking-tastic! Well 101 is going to be downstairs, and the guidance center is 105 so it should be just past there. </em></p><p>He practically ran down the staircase that led to the middle of the building so he could cover the second half on the same level, but when he got to the guidance center he ran into the cafeteria, then a locked set of double doors. The only thing down the ramp from the cafeteria was the gymnasium and the girls' locker room, so he didn't bother going to look for it down there. Instead, he made the walk of shame, as he viewed it, back to the guidance center to ask how to get there.</p><p>When he opened the door it smelled like cinnamon, and with the photocopier going, a phone ringing in one of the offices, and the administrator talking to someone on her own desk's phone, it was quite an overwhelming scene for his already high nerves. He stood and fidgeted with the straps on his bag f
as he waited for the administrator to hang up her call. </p><p>"Hello there! What can I do for you?" She said cheerily when she had hung up and turned to him.</p><p>"It's my first day, and I was supposed to be in room 224, but it said to go to 101, and I can't find 101. Could I get directions and a late pass please?" He thanked whatever force controlling him through the interaction for keeping his voice his usual smooth and steady tone. </p><p>"Of course! What's your name dear?" </p><p>"Janus," he croaked, <em>Spoke too soon, er thought,</em>, "Janus," he repeated after clearing his throat.</p><p>"Janus… Morello?" She guessed at his last name.</p><p>"Yes," he internally cringed. </p><p>"Alrighty! Here's your pass," she tore a sheet of paper off a small pad, "And your gonna go through the double doors by the cafeteria, past the second entrance there, past the stage door, and then it'll be on the right,"</p><p>"Oh, I tried those doors, they're locked,"</p><p>"The left one is, not the right," She said brightly and sounding not at all condescending, but Janus couldn't help but feel like she was just too good at hiding it. </p><p>"Okay, thank you so much," He stepped out as she picked up the phone again and quickly dialed a number. He took what felt like his first full breath in ages when he stepped back into the halls which just smelled like the metal lockers, diluted and dirty floor cleaner, and whatever second shift had had for lunch as he passed. Sure enough, the left door that he had tried was locked but the right one was not. He counted the doors: cafeteria, stage, 101.</p><p>He knocked and waited until someone got up to open it, except that didn't happen. A full minute later, and no one. Janus knocked again and he heard the teacher inside yell "Door!" and a heavy pair of footsteps came. And attached to those footsteps? An unfortunately familiar fair of ripped jeans. Janus could feel the person's scoul before the door was even opened, and he knew his place. </p><p>"Thanks," He barely got out in a whisper, keeping his head down.</p><p>"Yeah, sure," At least he got a response verbally and not in another shove. Janus went to the teacher's desk in the back of the room and handed her the note from the guidance administrator.</p><p>"We're going to be in here until they fix the heater. It's horribly hot in there right now. We have a few free seats, take your pick, they're not assigned,"</p><p>The decision was easy: the one furthest away from the person he ran into on the stairs. When the rest of the class finished whatever it had been they were working on, the teacher, Ms. Mills, came to the front of the room and told them to get a paper and take notes from the video she was starting to pull up. Janus had honestly fully forgotten about the tension between him and whoever it was mad at him until Ms. Mills randomly snapped get fingers.</p><p>"Virgil. Notes," She commanded simply, and at that moment Janus felt eyes burrowing into the back of his head.</p><p>"Sorry," He heard the same rough voice say, and the eyes left, only laying back in on him for a few moments every couple of minutes. He knew that Virgil could tell he knew he was staring him down, but he kept his own eyes strictly on the video or his notes. </p><p>Psychology seemed to take longer than the rest of Janus's classes, but he guessed that had something to do with the fact he spent half of the lesson trying to find the proper room. He waited until Virgil was out of the room, then stalled another full minute pretending to meticulously arrange his bag. When he did leave, he made a beeline to his bus. He took wide strides to the back, took the last seat on the driver's side, and laid his head against the window until he got to his house, very thankful for the protein bar in a pocket on his backpack.</p><p>He didn't go in the front door, instead he curved down the alleyway and went around the back which was already open. He took his shoes off and sat them on the rack in the mudroom before he went in.</p><p>"Hey!" His aunt yelled from the couch through the open dining room.</p><p>"Hey Aunt Dot," Janus sighed and sat his bookbag down hard on the table with a thud. </p><p>"How was your first day?" She asked excitedly.</p><p>
  <em>Let's see, out of the only students that acknowledged my existence today, Dawson's probably going to kill me because I skipped lunch, Roman thinks I'm a bigot because they misinterpreted my comment on their dress, Remus likes me which can only be bad news, I can't read Logan for anything and Virgil is no doubt going to beat the shit out of me if we're in that narrow, poorly lit hallway to 101 alone together ever. </em>
</p><p>"Not too bad, I guess," <em>At least none of that happened today.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Patton Dawson</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>////i proofed it in history so feel free to clown me if something doesn't make sense</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Patton sat in his truck for an extra minute before going into the building. He waited until the song went off, downed the cold dregs of his black instant coffee with a cringe, and opened the door to the warm spring air.</p><p>"Pat!" He heard a familiar voice yell across the lot.</p><p>"Remus!" Patton yelled back and turned to see him running over from his car and Roman strolling behind. Remus crashed into with a hug hard enough to make him stumble back, and once they were balanced Remus gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Patton laughed when he heard Roman fake retch. </p><p>"Got a problem with it, short stack?" Remus asked, standing up straight to be just taller than Patton to accentuate the high difference between him and his brother. </p><p>"Not in general, just you doing it," </p><p>"Just you wait until you meet someone! I'm going to embarrass the hell out of you!"</p><p>"Don't bug him, Remus. At least not right now. Come on," Patton ushered his boyfriend inside by the elbow with a light laugh as Roman yelled behind them.</p><p>"Well that's what I've been trying to do but he's never been embarrassed in his life!"</p><p>"Yeah!" Remus taunted, turning and sticking out his tongue. Patton turned to say something to Roman when he saw a red metal ball on his also stuck-out tongue.</p><p>"When did that happen, mister? You didn't do it yourself again right?"</p><p>"We went to the tattoo parlor like 2 or 3 weeks ago. I'm not that dumb Pat!"</p><p>"I didn't think you would, just making sure. I gotta get to class though, you two too," Patton told them as they went in through the cafeteria's side door. He waved to Roman, saying he'd see him at lunch. Remus gave him another small kiss before they left to the halls since they'd get a warning for PDA. </p><p>"G'morning," Patton said brightly as he sat down in homeroom with a hint of a laugh, "I had 
my coffeee this morning,"</p><p>"That's nice," Janus said, blatantly disinterested as he adjusted the one earbud he had in opposite Patton as if to make a point. </p><p>"Good morning class," The teacher called from the front of the room.</p><p>"Good morning Mr. Keller," Patton grumbled along with the other students. He had been hoping to talk to Janus again, but he could tell now wasn't the time from his dismissive tone. He just barely kept himself from falling asleep when Mr. Keller turned out the lights and started a documentary that had nothing to do with their lesson. Patton felt like every once in a while someone was watching him, but every time he glanced over to Janus he was looking at his phone's music selection.</p><p>To occupy himself, Patton got out his own phone and started messaging a group chat. </p><p>----<br/>
Loverboy (affectionate): guys I'm so bored. entertain me. </p><p>Bubblegum Bitch: Dito</p><p>Short Stack: Sounds like you two can entertain each other then</p><p>Loverboy (affectionate): didn't you get a new board?</p><p>Bubblegum Bitch: Yeah, but Roman's still painting it</p><p>Bubblegum Bitch: No rush though, take your time</p><p>Short Stack: It's actually done and in Remus's trunk so….</p><p>Loverboy (derogatory): 1- meet us there after school and we'll take you home 2- ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME MORE DETENTION? SHUT UP</p><p>Bubblegum Bitch: Turn your notification vibrate off then</p><p>Loverboy (derogatory): tUrN yOuR nOtIfIcAtIoN vIbRaTe OfF tHeN</p><p>Dark Knight: Spam time?</p><p>Loverboy (derogatory): NO!!<br/>
----</p><p>Patton put his phone back in his pocket with a soft smile and watched the documentary. He was just starting to nod off when they were dismissed to their second period. Patton dragged himself down the hall to his locker and fumbled with the lock to trade his books out for math. He saw the back of Janus's head go into the computers class across the hall which made him remember Roman had mentioned meeting him at lunch the day before. </p><p>"I don't know about him," he remembered Roman's complaint, "I can't tell if he's homophobic or just a smart ass,"</p><p>"Want me to find out? Can get you an answer in two days," Remus had offered, and Roman accepted. </p><p>The conversation left his mind as he walked into his math class and sat at his and Logan's table.</p><p>"Hey," Logan greeted him softly as he stared at his incomplete homework, clearly frustrated.</p><p>"What happened this time?" Patton asked jokingly, already digging through his bag for him to let Logan rush in some answers.</p><p>"Well, remember that show Virgil keeps insisting we need to watch?" Patton hummed an agreement, "Well I did that instead of this," he muttered as he flipped Patton's paper to face him and he copied over the final answers. "Thanks," Logan sighed, "How do you get yourself to do it every night?"</p><p>"First off, it's more like twice a week, and because I don't know how to do them as well as you,"</p><p>"It's the exact thing we've been doing since 7th grade! It's insulting!"</p><p>"I don't know what 7th grade maths you were in, but this wasn't what we learned,"</p><p>"It's all the same theories just applied differently," Logan mumbled as he copied Patton's work</p><p>"If it's so easy, bump up to honors or advanced placement," Patton suggested light heartedly</p><p>"No, because then that's double the amount of work I still won't do. This is less stressful,"</p><p>"I get that," Patton sympathized as the teacher came along with a clipboard to give completion marks. She didn't say anything to Logan, but the skeptical glare she gave said enough, but it somehow didn't faze Logan in the slightest. He just angled the paper towards her so she could see the filled lines and kept his blank stare at the table.</p><p>"All good?" Patton asked quietly as Logan made small scribble doodles along the sides of his notes. </p><p>"Yeah. Just wanted to stay home today,"</p><p>"Well tomorrow's Friday, so we have that to look forward to. I can pick you up from your house if you skip tomorrow,"</p><p>"Thanks, Pat," Logan glanced over to compare their answers for their classwork, "Here, number 4 is -5.87, not 0.37,"</p><p>"How?" Patton asked, perplexed. Logan walked him through the steps, and when Patton checked his answer on the next one Logan was happy to tell him he got it right. Logan finished first, as usual, and read a book while Patton worked through the rest of his math problems. "Oh thank God," Patton groaned as the bell rang and he shoved the papers haphazardly into his textbook and dropped it in his backpack. </p><p>On their way to the cafeteria, Patton and Logan made a stop at Remus's locker to wait for him and escort him to detention. He came up to the two, yanked the locker open, roughly tossing the books he carried under his arm in. </p><p>"What died in there?" Logan asked as he took a step back from the smell coming from Remus's stuff.</p><p>"It's less 'what died' and more 'what's growing'," He said without his usual flair. </p><p>"Geez, everyone's just in a bad mood," Patton commented and pursed his lips.</p><p>"Stupid new kid!" Remus went off, "Blew you off for lunch, blew us off during class," he motioned between himself and Logan, "Probably thinks he's better than us or something. I even gave him food and he left in the middle of a conversation, and now we have to finish a lab together next class"</p><p>"We don't know what he has going on, he just moved here," Logan defended Janus, "But yeah, I agree overall. He could stand to be at least a little open-minded,"</p><p>"You don't think Roman was right do you?" Patton asked worriedly. Remus shrugged and Logan didn't answer. </p><p>"I'm just gonna ask him outright. What's he gonna do? Punch me?"</p><p>"Maybe," Logan told him. Remus shrugged again and slammed his locker shut. Patton took Remus's hand and took him to the cafeteria and kissed his knuckles before he left for one of the detention cubicles against the wall and a lunch monitor stood over him. Patton heard them chatting it up as he and Logan found their table with Virgil and Roman. </p><p>"Either of you met this Janus kid?" Virgil asked when they sat down, "Roman said he was being short with him today. He literally ran into me on the steps yesterday like face first, then was way late to psych 'cause he's in there with me apparently," Virgil ranted.</p><p>"Yeah, he wasn't that talkative today," Patton told him, "He sits next to me in English," </p><p>"I don't like him," Virgil said gruffly</p><p>"Based on one 5 second interaction? Really?" Patton asked astounded.</p><p>"Yeah really!" </p><p>"Have any of us really had an overall good interaction with him?" Logan asked to prove Virgil's point. </p><p>"Remus said their lab was fun until he walked out on you two after class?" Patton guessed, "But I guess that kind of ruins the 'overall' part, huh?" </p><p>"A bit," Logan said sarcastically. </p><p>"Ok, let's go get in line," Virgil suggested, and as they got in the back they passed Remus, still talking to the monitor. Patton laughed when Remus reached out to them from across the room and he waved back. </p><p>"What did he do this time?" Virgil asked bluntly.</p><p>"Dumbass drank his science experiment," Roman laughed, and Virgil joined in, repeating Roman's choice word of "Dumbass" in a fonder tone. </p><p>"So Roman!" Patton brightly changed the subject, "How'd you paint Logan's new skateboard?"</p><p>"I made a galaxy pattern, then he sent me some constellations to paint on it, and I added some gold highlights and stars!"</p><p>"I can't wait to see it," Patton looked to Logan, "Any reason for a new board?"</p><p>"Well, you see, I got paid, and I don't have anything I legitimately need so I blew it the day after I got it and screwed myself for the month. As usual!" Logan said in an exaggerated tone as he put a hand on the back of his head and the other shoved in his hoodie pocket. </p><p>"Treat yourself!" Roman told him enthusiastically. </p><p>Patton thought they were past the rough patch for the moment from Logan's, admittedly tense, joking and Romans big smile, but Virgil's slouched posture suddenly straightened and his soft smirk hardened into a borderline glare as he turned his back to the cafeteria door about 6 feet to their right. </p><p>"What's up?" Patton asked, and Virgil jerked his head to the entrance without bothering to try and be subtle. Janus was walking in towards them, eyes on his phone clearly texting someone with his earbuds in as they'd grown to expect. He fell in the queue behind Patton who was bringing up the rear of the group without acknowledging him. </p><p>"Hey!" Patton tried, and Janus nodded his head shortly. Virgil gave him a second to finish what he was doing, but when Janus didn't make to return the friendly gesture properly he stepped in. </p><p>"He was talking to you," Virgil said gruffly. That got Roman's attention from his sidebar with Logan, and they both turned to see what was going to happen next. </p><p>"And I wasn't talking you, so bye-bye," Janus said, still not looking up. </p><p>"Alright now!" Patton stepped between them. Virgil snarled but took a step back, and Janus finally looked up from his screen absolutely terrified, "I suggest you go get in the other line," Patton jerked his thumb over to the second string of people on the other side of the kitchen and Janus stumbled over his own feet as he scrambled over to it. Virgil gave Patton a look that was half impressed and half scared himself, having been reminded how deep Patton's authoritative tone was. Even his relaxed voice was deep but when he was mad… look out. </p><p>"Are we having a problem, gentlemen?" The lunch monitor that had been supervising Remus was quickly coming over as Remus made a punching gesture into his own hand now that he didn't have a teacher looming over him, telling Patton to go beat up Janus. Patton mouthed a "No" with an exaggerated shake of his head. </p><p>"We're fine sir," Logan spoke up for all of them, "Patton diffused the situation before it could escalate,"</p><p>" 'Diffused'?" The monitor questioned the word choice, "It looked like both of these guys were going to maul that kid!"</p><p>"Removing a disturbance counts as neutralizing," Roman said with no room for argument. </p><p>"I don't see how or why someone like him would go up against these two," The teacher clapped both Patton and Virgil on their shoulders, and Patton subtly pulled away with a tense and very forced laugh, "but as long as none of you are going to cause me any problems. Right?"</p><p>"Right," Virgil confirmed for him quickly. And he left back for Remus's singular desk to try and stop him from flinging a spoon full of mashed potatoes against the desk's walls.</p><p>The rest of lunch was filled with little snips of conversation that died quickly as they got their food and went back to their table. Logan took everyone's trays for them just before the bell and sat them back through the window for the kitchen staff.</p><p>On the way to Patton and Roman's third, they stopped back at Remus's locker again since it was on their way back, their third being halfway between it and their second-period classes, which were just across the hall from each other. </p><p>"You should have socked him before Sandy came over!" Remus said, then pouting, "He never lets us have any fun!" </p><p>"Yes, yes, now you do your Romeo and Juliet make-believe about how you haven't seen each other in ages, kiss kiss and leave!" Roman rushed through, "It's my turn with him!"</p><p>"You had him all lunch!" Remus complained, and Roman made a 'hurry up' gesture.</p><p>Remus rolled his eyes, gave Patton a quick kiss, and let Roman pull him off to their third. They walked through the side of the stairwell down the band hall. Roman stopped in the small color guard room that was overcrowded with equipment in rough plywood boxes attached to the wall, drill books stacked high on metal shelves, and various personal items were strewn about from every member of the guard. </p><p>"Hey Patton," The band director called him over from his desk stacked high with music, "Have you and Roman worked out the guard's make-up yet?"</p><p>"Yeah, about that," Patton laughed, "We're still working on it, so can we stay in the guard room today and come up with something?"</p><p>"Yeah, I'll mark you both as here," Patton thanked him and joined Roman, sitting in one of the three chairs.</p><p>"So what were you thinking about trying this time?" </p><p>"That I have done what I want done for the day and don't want to take it off, put that on, take it off, put this back on," Roman said as he checked his current look in the hand mirror from the makeup bag.</p><p>"Want to try it on me?" Patton offered, "You can do my hair too if you want," Roman clapped excitedly and searched around the mess for a hairbrush, lucky enough to find one with a hair tie wrapped around the handle. He took his time brushing out Patton's hair, complaining about the tangles and started styling it into a french braid.</p><p>"-And then she took my lipstick and almost broke it!" Roman finally ended his rant about some of the guard members, or so Patton thought, "Like she's bad enough, and then there's Jamie, like, Oh. My. God!" Patton absentmindedly nodded, at this point not been listening for a while. "Don't move, I'll mess it up!" Roman said frantically, and Patton felt the pull as Roman's hand reflexively tightened around his braid. It only took a couple more twists before Roman tied it off and pulled a chair in front of Patton to do some makeup on him. </p><p>They settled on something with a bright blue eye, a heavy wing, and a little bit of shiny clear gloss. </p><p>"Go show him that," Roman said, packing away what they had used. Patton went out to show the director, and he no sooner stepped into the band room from the hall when he heard a wolf whistle from the sax section he headed. The whistle got the director's attention and he said it was good, he could see it from a bit of a distance but it still looked good. Roman offered him a makeup wipe when he came back to the guard room.</p><p>"I think I'll leave it on. 'It looks good', director approved," Patton laughed, "Besides, fourth is just doing busy work in guidance"</p><p>"How long do we have left?" Roman asked</p><p>"About half an hour, " Patton remembered the time from walking out to the director and seeing his clock, "I have math work to finish," He got his book out and the paper crammed in it.</p><p>"Ew," Roman laughed and got his phone out to waste away the time. Eventually, Patton finished and the bell rang. Roman went upstairs and Patton split off to go down to the guidance office.</p><p>"Hey, Pat!" The administrator greeted him as soon as he walked in, "Like the new look! It would look good with how you did your nails the other week!"</p><p>"It would!" He agreed, remembering the neon blue and black Remus had painted them, "What do we have today Mrs. Ray?" </p><p>"I have 2 things for you to do today," She told him, "If you could finish organizing those files in the office that would be fabulous, and if you could get more of that potpourri? It smells so good in here, and the councilors and I agreed we need some for the conference room,"</p><p>"Can do!" Patton went back to one of the offices that was covered wall to wall with filing cabinets, pulled out the drawer he had left off on yesterday, and sat on the floor to sort through the stack of files he pulled out, alphabetizing them from the mess they were currently in. He closed the door after about 5 minutes and turned on some low music in his pocket. </p><p>He could vaguely hear people filtering in and out of the main office, 2 people coming in at different times and going back to the conference room, about 10 minutes between their visits. The phones rang, were quickly answered, and Patton found it a pleasant background noise from behind the heavy metal door keeping the bustling energy away from him.</p><p>Three drawers later the final bell rang and Patton rushed out to the parking lot to Remus's car. Logan came shortly after along with Roman, and Remus and Virgil were last, coming out of the cafeteria arguing. </p><p>Remus huffed out "I'm right" and Virgil laughed "Sure" sarcastically as the other opened the trunk. Roman got out the skateboard and held it upside down so they all could see the thoroughly sealed painting.</p><p>"That looks amazing!" Logan gushed, "The constellations are perfect! I wouldn't have thought about adding gold. I really like that," Roman handed over the board and Logan so he could trace his fingers over the sharp clean white lines connecting dots over the galaxy. </p><p>The others appreciated the work before Virgil glanced over to Patton to cue him to wrap things up.
</p><p>"Well, Virgie's got places to be, so we had better get going," Patton wrapped up, "See you guys in the morning! Roman, again, it looks phenomenal!"</p><p>"Love you!" Remus yelled across the lot after Patton and Virgil were halfway to his truck. Patton yelled it back.</p><p>"You guys are disgusting," Virgil said half-seriously, but the softness in his tone made it clear he didn't truly care.</p><p>"We try," Patton laughed, getting in the driver's seat, "I don't know where this place is. Do you have directions?" </p><p>"Yeah, when you get to the main road, take a left," Virgil instructed, already plugging in an aux cord and playing a song. He yelled out where to turn over the music every once in a while until he and Patton sat in a parking lot.</p><p>"Nervous?"</p><p>"...A bit," Virgil said on the exhale of a deep breath.</p><p>"Are you sure you don't want me to wait until you're done? Or go in with you?"</p><p>"No I'll be fine. My dad will be off work in like 20 minutes, he said he'd take me home,"</p><p>"Yeah, but just to be here for when you come out,"</p><p>"It'll be fine, but thanks,"</p><p>" If you're sure. Text me if you need me kiddo," Patton told him</p><p>"Will do," Virgil said, too nervous to argue with the endearment. He took another deep breath and got out of the truck, waving as he went through the building"s doors.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Roman Atkinson</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, did you talk to Voldemort?" Roman turned off the blaring radio to ask from the passenger seat as Remus pulled into the school driveway. The ride had been fine, both of them singing along to whatever song came on Remus's shuffle that Roman didn't skip, but seeing the building suddenly made Roman self-conscious of his choice to wear a dress again today. It was his favorite, a red skater dress with white trimming and almost tank top sleeves, but he'd rather not have a certain someone make any unwelcome comments.</p><p>"Nope," Remus said with an air of finality, "And I don't plan on it today. If he gives you shit beat him up, then I'll do it again at lunch,"</p><p>"We're not allowed to fight unless they start it, you know that" Roman mumbled their mother's rule.</p><p>"Then get him to start something," Remus shrugged. Roman gripped the door handle as Remus whipped around into his parking spot and made quick work of turning off the car to go see Patton. Roman sighed,  grabbed his backpack from the back of the car, and made for the cafeteria not waiting on his brother or friend. </p><p>His first class was studio art upstairs. He waved to the teacher as he walked in and went to the back room and fell into one of the bean bags someone had snuck back there his freshman year and the art teacher didn't care about enough to get rid of. Once the bell rang and the teacher had set his general arts class, mostly filled with current freshmen, to their tasks he slipped into the studio to check in Roman's work.</p><p>"Oh?" He questioned when he saw Roman sitting there without any supplies.</p><p>"Oil paint is still drying," He pointed over to his portrait of Virgil propped against the window, "And I'm so not feeling it today," </p><p>"You have to do something, Roman. I can't have you just sitting back here all class, even if Kacey is out," The teacher motioned to the second painting beside Roman's and then the second empty easel, "At least work on a sketch or something please," They heard a call from the classroom, and the teacher left to see what they needed. </p><p>Grumbling, Roman grabbed a sketchbook off the shelf and flipped through to a blank page. He made a few rough lines and turned it into an outline of a rose. When it was finished to his liking, he set the book down and wasted his time back on his phone. The art teacher stopped back in his room once more and must have been satisfied with the flower since he let Roman relax until second period. </p><p>Roman left the majority of his books in the art room and walked to computers practically empty handed. He waited outside for a while to chat with Logan before class as they usually did, but he never walked by. Patton eventually turned the hall's corner and when he saw Roman he shrugged.</p><p>"He's not here?" Patton asked when he got to their classes doorways. </p><p>"Guess not. I'm leaving, I'm not dealing with this today. See you after school,"</p><p>"Hug?" Patton offered, stretching out the one arm that didn't have books tucked under it. Roman nodded and gave Patton a side hug, waiting a bit as he gently rubbed his shoulder, "You at least have to check in and get a note, and I have to be in this class. I'll see you after school then Ro," </p><p>"Yeah, see ya'," Roman sighed and let go to let Patton get to his class. Roman went right for the teacher's desk, asking if he could go to the nurse. He didn't even glance over at his seat.</p><p>"Under the weather?" The teacher asked as she signed his hall pass.</p><p>"Yeah, headache," Roman fibbed, "Thank you," He muttered as he was handed his book back and he left class.</p><p>The nurse's office had to be the brightest light room in the whole school and smelled sharply of antiseptic, which was enough to give anyone not sent down for one a headache by itself. The five minutes Roman had to wait for the nurse to get back was enough to make his little lie true. </p><p>"Hello, Hello!" The school nurse said cheerily as she came in from the main office, "How are we feeling today?"</p><p>"Not the greatest Mrs. Kathy," Roman said with a dry laugh to not come off as cold compared to her sunny demeanor, "Massive migraine and I don't have my medicine here,"</p><p>"Well," She said with a brief pause, "We could call Mom or Dad and have one of them bring it here for you,"</p><p>"I'd feel bad having one of them run out just to bring me that,"</p><p>"How about you try laying back and resting your eyes for a bit, and if you don't feel better after that we can call home and see if they're busy. Okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, that's good," Roman agreed and moved to one of the further beds and leaned back, keeping his legs hanging off. Mrs. Kathy turned out one of the sets of lights for him, and after logging his visit left for the main office again where Roman could hear her voice talking to one of the receptionists, but not their exact conversation. He quickly took out his phone and texted his mom.</p><p>- Nurse is going to call in a bit, could you just offer to pick me up please?<br/>
+ Yeah is everything okay?<br/>
- Yeah, just a headache but really don't feel like dealing with it<br/>
+ I'll leave when I get the call. See you in a bit</p><p>A few minutes after Roman shut his eyes again Mrs. Kathy came back in, and Roman told her he wasn't feeling better. </p><p>"Alright, let's get you your medicine then. Who should we call, Mom or Dad?" She asked as she flipped through some files to find Roman's. </p><p>"My mom's off work today," The nurse looked over his paper and found the right number to call. He zoned out the conversation, barely registering when he heard the quiet staticy voice say "Why don't I just come pick him up?" Just before the nurse said that would be fine. </p><p>"She said she'd come and pick you up since you're not feeling well instead of bringing your medicine. Do you need to get anything from your last class or your locker?"</p><p>"No I don't need any of it," Roman told her and she turned back to her computer with a soft nod and worked until the office buzzer rang and Roman could hear his mom in the lobby. He got in the car and they headed home. </p><p>"Remus didn't want to come home?" His mom laughed when they pulled out towards home.</p><p>"I think he had a lab or something to do?" He guessed, "Thanks for getting me,"</p><p>"Not a problem! Do you actually have a headache though?"</p><p>"A little bit, but it's more this stupid kid in my second. I think I would have punched him if he talked to me today,"</p><p>"Woah! He must be trouble if you want to hit him. Does Remus know him?"</p><p>"Yeah and he hates him too," Roman said as though it justified his stance further. He sighed and turned on music from his phone to stop thinking about it, and it put him in a far better mood by the time they pulled into the garage. Roman went to his room and got back into bed to watch a movie with a mug of tea. When it went off he went out to get a snack for lunch. When he checked his phone he found Remus had texted saying that he needed him to be waiting outside after school and that they're going to pick up Virgil since Patton was getting Logan.</p><p>- He skipped too?<br/>
+ Yeah<br/>
- Bet you and Pat are loving lunch to yourselves<br/>
+ ...Little bit. See ya</p><p>"And so he has emerged," Roman's dad said from behind him, "But really, feeling okay?"</p><p>"Now I am," Roman grabbed a drink and shut the fridge, "Now I'd like to go back into hiding until it's time to leave,"</p><p>"Are you feeling up for skating since you weren't feeling well enough for school," his dad asked half sarcastically</p><p>"I think I've sufficiently recharged," Roman told him in a matching tone before leaving for his room again before his dad could suggest he should "go back to school then". He turned on another movie and sat on his floor, surrounding himself with bottles of paints, pallets, and brushes. </p><p>"You're not still drying," Roman mumbled to a canvas he's been working on for a while. He mixed some paints in his pallet and started to work, glancing up every so often up to the television on his dresser to watch a minute or two of his movie. Soon enough an alarm went off to let Roman know he needed to go get ready. He left himself 15 minutes, but he wound up using the whole time finding his skateboard in all the clutter and mess in his room. </p><p>He waiting on the porch for not even 5 minutes when Remus pulled up to the curb with music blaring. Roman ran down the yard and hopped in the front seat and turned down the music to where he could be heard.</p><p>"How was your day?" Roman drawled sweetly.</p><p>"Not half bad surprisingly!" Remus said, driving down the road almost before Roman's door was closed, "Pat and I had lunch, Logan and I did our lab together and we got cookies in Econ!"</p><p>"Sounds nice," Roman said, bragging, "I watched movies and painted the rest of the day. Damn," He mumbled as he looked over the bottom of his skateboard and saw some of his stickers peeling up, "Do you need anything glued down?" </p><p>"Nah," Remus said. A few songs later they pulled up outside Virgil's house, "I told him to be outside," Remus complained. Roman started sending Virgil another text to tell him they were there when Remus honked the horn twice. </p><p>"He said he's not coming today?" Roman said when he got a response from Virgil, "Was I not told something?"</p><p>"He said he wasn't coming when I told him to be waiting this morning," Remus said, honking again. </p><p>"Then let's let him be! Someone's going to get you a ticket or something,"</p><p>"A noise complaint at worst," Remus brushed off, shifting from Park to Drive, and slowly rolled down the street, checking the rearview mirror to make sure Virgil didn't change his mind and come out. He hadn't, "Hope he's okay," Remus said before turning the music back up as loud as it could go again. It took another 15 minutes to get to the skatepark and Remus took his favorite spot in the lot in the back left next to Patton's truck that was already there. </p><p>"Hey!" Logan yelled over to them while Remus got a pair of rollerblades out of his truck and when it was closed he sat on it to put them on. </p><p>"Hey!" Roman yelled back and ran over to him and Patton, "Why didn't Virgil want to come today?"</p><p>"He said he doesn't want anyone to know right now," Patton told him, "He'll probably be back on Monday. Everything's okay, he's not hurt, no one else is, but I promised I wouldn't tell anyone,"</p><p>"You won't tell anyone what?" Remus asked as he skated over.</p><p>"Why Virgil isn't here," Logan informed him as he admired his new skateboard again.</p><p>"Oh tell me, tell me!" Remus said, leaning close to Patton with a hand cupped around his ear. </p><p>"You count as an 'anyone'!" Patton laughed. </p><p>"You don't happen to have any glue, do you Pat?" Roman asked as he showed him the peeling stickers.</p><p>"I only have tape I think. Can you-?" He tried to stick them back on by pressing them firmly back to the board with his thumb but after a second they lifted back off, "Oh. I think they'll be fine for today, just maybe don't do rails or too many grinds," </p><p>"Yeah, probably. Okay, Logan! You said you had a new trick, let's see it!" Roman stood and held out his hand to pull him up off the bench he was sat on and tugged him along to the halfpipe. Logan went up to the ramp and put one foot on his board. Patton and Remus came over to Roman's side to watch.</p><p>"You're going to make me mess up," Logan said as he slid his the board back and forth a few times with his foot. </p><p>"You'll do great!" Roman encouraged him. Logan kicked off down the ramp, came up on the other side, and turning around to the left to face the ramp again, touched the bottom of the board to the ledge to skate back down the other side. Or that's what he tried. He scooped the board too far when he turned and when he went to balance on the edge he fell down the steep slope. </p><p>"Oh no!" Patton said and he and Roman ran down to check on Logan. Remus came over to the edge as the other two went down.</p><p>"I told you I'd mess it up!" Logan said as they came down.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Roman asked frantically as he crouched down next to him, and Patton was close after. </p><p>"Yeah, I'm fine!" Logan laughed.</p><p>"Jesus, I thought you were crying," Roman let out a deep breath, gently smacked Logan on the back of his head, "Don't do that!"</p><p>"You're really good though? No scrapes," Patton confirmed, holding out a hand</p><p>"Yes!" Logan laughed out again as he let Patton pull him up. He gave a thumbs-up to Remus and got one back as they made their way back up. Roman went back over to Remus's car and got his helmet off the floor of his backseat where he had last let it. When he came back Patton was checking over an annoyed Logan for scrapes he insisted weren't there, saying he's going to make him put on knee pads, and Remus was looking over the halfpipe, clearly debating what to try. </p><p>Roman went right up to the edge next to his brother and dropped in without much planning after ditching his helmet on the bench so Patton couldn't say he didn't have it. When he came up to the other side at an angle he slid across the curve of concrete on the bottom of his board, not caring about stickers anymore, to turn himself around and speed down the other side. After a couple of rounds, on his way up he tucked his knees up and landed back up on the ground out of the halfpipe and skated over to Patton.</p><p>Just a few feet before he ran into Patton head-on, he stepped back off his board, put his foot down on the tail to lever it up, and picked it up by the nose. "Forget your board?" Roman joked as Patton just sat and watched the other three. Roman sat in front of him on the ground and leaned against his knees since Patton was on the bench. </p><p>"No, I just don't feel like skating today," Patton said as he smoothed down Roman's hair, "My knee hurts,"</p><p>"Probably a good idea then," Roman agreed, laughing, "Survive band?"</p><p>"Yeah, helped Elliot work through the run they were having trouble with,"</p><p>The two watched Remus turn and start up towards them, and he stalled long enough to yell, "It's not lady-like to sit with your legs open when you're wearing a dress!" Roman knew he didn't mean it, it was just a little bit of picking, so he thought of something on-par to come back with. </p><p>"It's lady-like to steal your man though!" He yelled back, "I could hear you roll your eyes," He told Patton as he tilted his head back against his knee to look up at him, though he did cross his ankles out straight from where he had been sitting crisscrossed. </p><p>"And I could hear you do what he said, so call it even," Patton teased. Roman sat with him for a bit, enjoying the early spring sun and Patton's rough hand gently combing through his hair. "WOO! GO LOGAN!" Patton's yell startled Roman when he saw Logan nail the trick he had tried to show them when they first got there. Remus came up again and sat next to Patton, demanding his attention away from his brother as he took off his skates</p><p>Logan stepped out smoothly when he started up the side and grabbed his board as it continued almost straight up in one fluid motion. Instead of coming over to the bench with the rest of them, he set off determinedly down the alley between two builds with their backs to the park. </p><p>"Patton?-" Roman started, but before he could finish, Paton was already pulling his leg from behind Roman's back.</p><p>"On it," Patton said lowly and Remus turned excitedly as Patton started off in a jog to catch up to Logan, practically bouncing with excitement. After a minute of neither him nor Logan coming out the brothers shared a look and got up and started over. </p><p>"Wait, wait wait!" Roman shot out his hand and whispered harshly to Remus. He waved his hand over to the building on the opposite side of the alley they were coming up on and Remus ran over to it as Roman ran up to the closer one. They both peaked just their heads around the corner to see what was going on but found the alley empty except for a dumpster and some old wooden crates. </p><p>"You're not taking them," Remus said as Roman went to pick one up, "We have so many empty boxes in the garage. If you bring another one in we're switching chores and you're cleaning in there," Roman dropped it back onto its stack and they finished to the other side of the alley, peaking out again, this time to the main road. Remus found Patton and Logan on their way back from his said and stepped out with a big wave. </p><p>"I thought I saw Virgil and I was going to go make him join us," Logan said, "But it was just someone with a similar outfit," </p><p>"They were about your height, how did you get them mixed up?" Patton asked as he strolled up beside Remus and grabbed his hand.</p><p>"So no fight?" Remus asked, clearly disappointed. </p><p>"No, not today," Logan said, patting his shoulder in false sympathy. </p><p>"Race you back," Roman dared him and he and Logan started off in a run down the street. After turning back out of the alley Logan dropped his skateboard from under his arm and used the momentum to widen the close gap between him and Roman. </p><p>"No fair!" Roman whined as he sat down with his legs over the railing into the pit. Logan went on for a ways, jumping and sliding down the stair railing and when he landed he stepped off and went back to sit with Roman. Roman looked back to the alley and saw Patton and Remus just now coming out. "Remus! Grab me a coat from the car!" </p><p>Remus nodded and went over, opened the driver's door,  passenger's door, and the back door before yelling back. "You didn't grab one! Suck it up and wear long sleeves next time!" Roman could barely hear Patton tell him "Be a little nicer, come on," Logan took off his black pullover hoodie and offered it to Roman. He had on a long sleeve shirt under it tucked in his jeans. </p><p>"How were you not dying of heatstroke?" Roman said as he pulled it on. </p><p>"Eh, I'm always cold so it isn't too hot for me,"</p><p>"Any plans for tomorrow?" </p><p>"Nope," Logan said happily.</p><p>"Wanna come over tonight?"</p><p>"Do you want to come over to my house?" Logan countered.</p><p>"Yeah, I'll have to go home and grab a bag but that sounds great!" </p><p>"I get to leave you with someone else tonight? Sweet!" Remus said as he sat next to him.</p><p>"Don't steal Logan!" Patton sat on Logan's other side and pulled him into a tight side hug. </p><p>"I swear there might just be a fight today," He told Patton despite leaning into it. Remus started a chant of "Fight Fight Fight!" and Roman pulled Logan's arm to try and 'win' him back.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry this one took a little longer to get up!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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